The most unusual thing I ever stole? A snowman.
Midnight. He looked magnificent; a tall, white mute
beneath the winter moon. I wanted him, a mate
with a mind as cold as the slice of ice
within my own brain. I started with the head.
Better off dead than giving in, not taking
what you want. He weighed a ton; his torso,
frozen stiff, hugged to my chest, a fierce chill
piercing my gut. Part of the thrill was knowing
that children would cry in the morning. Life's tough.
Sometimes I steal things I don't need. I joy-ride cars
to nowhere, break into houses just to have a look.
I'm a mucky ghost, leave a mess, maybe pinch a camera.
I watch my gloved hand twisting the doorknob.
A stranger's bedroom. Mirrors. I sigh like this - Aah.
It took some time. Reassembled in the yard,
he didn't look the same. I took a run
and booted him. Again. Again. My breath ripped out
in rags. It seems daft now. Then I was standing
alone among lumps of snow, sick of the world.
Boredom. Mostly I'm so bored I could eat myself.
One time, I stole a guitar and thought I might
learn to play. I nicked a bust of Shakespeare once,
flogged it, but the snowman was the strangest.
You don't understand a word I'm saying, do you?
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Appears several times throughout the poem
It is important to note that the speaker is not only alienated from society, but also from himself and the simplicity of childhood. –
“I wanted him, a mate”
“standing alone, among lumps of snow, sick of the world”
“You don't understand a word I’m saying, do you?” –
Having shared their story, is left as isolated and hopeless
as before
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The gloves,mirrors and the snowman are
representative of childhood, family, and acceptance in society.
The thief tries to steal the snowman to steal the feeling of being accepted, he wants to recapture his innocence and along with it a sense of inclusion.
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It is a result of the alienation and the marginalized
society.
The speaker destroys the snowman out of fury and is left with a sense of
isolation no matter what he tries to do.
The speaker clearly is not able to construct anything, only destruct.
The speaker is looking for a purpose and a snowman represents companionship, something that is lacking in his/her life. However, in stanza four he begins to “boot” the snowman in line three and becomes destructive once again.
Destroying the snowman is also destroying an image of him, again demonstrating self-destruction.
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